1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a fiberboard box. More particularly, the present invention relates to a 4G fiberboard box that meets United Nations regulations governing certified containers for the transportation of hazardous materials.
2. Description of Related Art
Goods that are classified as dangerous for transport range from those which are highly dangerous, such as explosives and fuming acids, to everyday products, such as paints, solvents and pesticides found in the home and at work. Dangerous goods, typically referred to as hazardous materials in the United States, may be substances or products. Due to their hazardous nature, the transport of such goods is regulated to ensure the safety of life, of the ship, aircraft or vehicle transporting the goods, and of other goods being transported. The basis of all national and international regulations for the safe transport of dangerous goods is the recommendations of the United Nations Committee of Experts, published in “The Orange Book.” The United States has adopted these recommendations in the form of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (Title 49 CFR Parts 100-185), which is published by the United States Department of Transportation and governs the transport of hazardous materials in the United States.
When transporting hazardous materials in the United States, the packaging used to contain the hazardous material in most cases must be certified to United Nations standards as defined in the Hazardous Materials Regulations. These standards require the packaging to be of a design-type certified by a national competent authority. Packaging which meets the appropriate United Nations specifications is often referred to as “type-approved”, “UN Approved” or “UN certified” and marked in a particular way, prefixed by the United Nations logo and followed by codes.
The certification process includes testing the packaging against the appropriate UN specification to ensure its suitability for the carriage of certain hazardous goods. These test procedures are intended to ensure that packaging which will contain hazardous materials can withstand normal conditions of transportation and are considered to represent the minimum acceptable design standards/requirements. The design requirements consist of a number of performance oriented tests related to packaging integrity. The severity of the tests varies according to the Packing Group. The UN Committee has assigned all dangerous goods to one of three Packing Groups: Packing Group I—High danger; Packing Group II—Medium danger; and Packing Group III—Low danger. The purpose of the tests is to prove a design to the Packing Group level of performance. The objective is a design that, when filled and closed for shipment, will consistently perform at that level. Packaging is tested in the “as for shipment” condition, and there are five main tests to which it is subjected. These are the drop test, the stacking test, the leakproof test, the hydrostatic test, and the optional vibration test. Each of these five tests has specific guidelines set up to ensure that the packaging being tested will conform to the respective packing group requirement. This testing is a comprehensive process, carried out by independent laboratories that are legally authorized to issue a formal UN certification of the “worthiness” of the packaging for use with hazardous materials.
In the case of non-bulk packagings and packages, there are additional design requirements which must also be met. These additional requirements are directed to certain criteria regarding the physical design of the packaging, rather than its performance during testing. In particular, Section 173.24a of Hazardous Materials Regulations (Title 49 CFR Parts 100-185) requires that “inner packagings of combination packagings must be so packed, secured and cushioned to prevent their breakage or leakage and to control their shifting within the outer packaging under conditions normally incident to transportation. Cushioning material must not be capable of reacting dangerously with the contents of the inner packagings or having its protective properties significantly weakened in the event of leakage.”
To satisfy the testing requirements, conventional non-bulk packaging and packages require certain physical dimensions. In other words, these packages must be large enough to withstand the conditions prescribed by the testing requirements. As the size of these packages increases, storage requirements for these containers also increase. Thus, fewer packages may occupy a particular storage location, and less volume of hazardous material may be transported. For example, one commonly used shipping pallet is 46″×46″ in size. Some conventional non-bulk packages do not fit efficiently within the perimeter of this commonly used pallet, yielding at least some un-utilized pallet space.
Further, some conventional non-bulk packages satisfy the testing requirements at the expense of not meeting the requirements of Section 173.24a. For instance, some non-bulk packages utilize molded-pulp inserts as cushioning materials. When exposed to liquid, such as that stored within the non-bulk package, molded-pulp weakens and loses its cushioning ability. Other non-bulk packages utilize expanded polystyrene as cushioning material. Polystyrene dissolves and may form a flammable material on contact with hydrocarbons, which are often shipped as hazardous materials.